


Friends Over Fans

by ShuTodoroki



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies), Planes (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Flying, Friendship, Missing Scene, Moral Lessons, Racing, Redemption, Sabotage, World Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29698812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShuTodoroki/pseuds/ShuTodoroki
Summary: As the reigning Pan-Asian champion from India, Ishani has a reputation to upkeep when she competes in Wings Around the Globe. However, when that pressure for success causes her to fall into Ripslinger's trap that sabotages Dusty, she knows that she has to fix what she's done.
Relationships: Dusty Crophopper/Ishani
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Friends Over Fans

Ishani enjoyed the atmosphere in the German tavern as she, along with the other WATG racers, mingled during the after-race party, resting up for the next leg to India, her home country. Well, maybe some of them weren’t resting so much as they danced to the live band playing polka music.

She stayed by herself, sipping from her can of oil from time to time, watching with an amused smile. That is, until she saw the reigning WATG champion, Ripslinger, approach her, strangely without his henchmen, Ned and Zed. 

She always thought that it was a bit obnoxious that the P-51 had such a grand stage at pit row when the WATG started at JFK airport, but she figured that he had earned the right to some luxury considering that no one, including her, could beat him. 

Her gaze shifted from her can of oil to Ripslinger approaching her, but she kept the slight smile that was on her face. It was only polite to be cordial when talking to her other racers, as Ripslinger set his can of oil down on her table. 

“Ishani! Looking forward to the leg to your home country?” Ripslinger greeted.

Ripslinger wore an unreadable slight smirk, and Ishani idly wondered why he was going out of his way to talk to _her_ when in previous years he never really made an effort to talk to the other air racers. “I suppose. It would be a disgrace if I didn’t do well in this competition, especially in the sections to and from India.”

“Hm, well, I’m sure that’ll give you some motivation to win.” Ripslinger brushed off, before changing the subject as his gaze shifted to Dusty, who was accompanied by El Chupacabra at the bar. “What do you think of the farm boy?”

“You mean Dusty, Ripslinger?” Ishani asked with a raised eyebrow, unamused by Ripslinger’s nickname for the former cropduster. She thought that it was pretty rude, and Dusty was quite nice to her when she first met him at JFK, albeit it was awkward, but who wasn’t awkward sometimes?

“Yeah, yeah, Dusty. He’s dead last after saving Bulldog.” Ripslinger replied, obviously not caring about Dusty’s actual name.

“Well, he saved Bulldog’s life. Don’t you think that’s admirable?” Ishani questioned. She was starting to increasingly dislike Ripslinger; he seemed to have a hatred for Dusty that she just didn’t understand.

“Whatever. Hey, what would you say to a free Sky Slycer Mark Five propeller? They’re the best racing propellers around. I’m sure that I can get one for you for the leg from India to Nepal onwards.” Ripslinger offered.

Ishani was confused by Ripslinger’s offer, unsure as to why he would be offering her one of his coveted propellers made exclusively for his racing team. She immediately became suspicious. “Do I look like I was born yesterday? What are you up to?”

“Just helping you ensure respectable performance in this competition. You _did_ say that it would be disgraceful if you didn’t do well.” Ripslinger pointed out, that sly smirk still on his face.

Ishani wasn’t sure of what to make from that answer. Judging from her interaction with the P-51 so far, she didn’t think that he was just doing this from the goodness of his engine. There must be an ulterior motive. “So…you’re just going to give it to me.”

Ripslinger let out a chuckle, amused by what he perceived as naivete. “Well, I never said _that._ Dusty likes to fly low, and there are railroad tracks in the Himalayas. Tell him to follow those, and then when he finds out they end at a narrow tunnel, he’s going to have to turn around and fly above the mountains anyway! It’ll cost him time, and he’s still going to be in last place.”

Ishani didn't feel comfortable going through with it at that moment. What did Ripslinger have against Dusty? None of the other racers hated him; quite the contrary, actually. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Ripslinger. "Why do you hate him so much? He's done nothing but be kind to you, as far as I know."

Ripslinger gritted his teeth. He was getting annoyed, but he needed Ishani for his plan to work. "Because he doesn't _belong_ here! He's a cropduster! Nothing else. Besides, it'll especially help you. That is, unless you don't want a shiny new propeller. That'd for sure let your fans down if you don't do as well as they'd expect."

Ishani knew that she should know better. But she couldn't help that nagging thought of "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Take it!" She didn't know when she could have such an advanced propeller ever again, and the thought of letting her billion fans down scared her. There was a lot of pressure for her to win. If she didn't, she would face severe criticism back home.

 _Besides, Dusty must have experience with the ground because he flies low. When he comes across the train tunnel, maybe he'll find another way around it that wouldn't require going over the Himalayas._ She told herself. What Ripslinger was asking of her was wrong, yes, but it's not like it would kill Dusty.

But she still wondered about something. Why did Ripslinger specifically come to her? "Why do you ask _me_ to suggest that to him, though? You could do it yourself." 

Ripslinger didn't feel like answering that question, since the reason was Dusty was obviously swooning over Ishani, and he wasn't about to admit that. Ishani seemed to already be onto him, but he just had to threaten again with the propeller to get his way. "You sound like you don't want the new propeller." 

Ishani quickly backpedalled when Ripslinger said that. She figured that it’d be better to not ask any more questions; Ripslinger seemed to be a volatile plane in terms of mood, and she had already rationalized what she was about to do. She hoped Dusty just took it as mistaken advice with good intentions… 

“No, of course I do! I’ll…do it, Ripslinger.” She felt a pang of guilt when she said that, but she quickly ignored it. 

“Hmph. Good. I’ll get it shipped into the airport in India. I better see Dusty in last place when we arrive in Nepal.” Ripslinger threatened, before he turned away, picking up his can of oil and driving away.

Ishani sighed, knowing that she was doing Ripslinger’s dirty work, and she was basically sabotaging Dusty. But as she said, it’d be a disgrace if she didn’t do well in this competition, and the competition was almost halfway done. Placing in the top three would spare her the worst of the criticism when she returned home.

The smile that was on her face was gone, as she took another sip from her can of oil in the German tavern. She just hoped that her decision would pay off, and that Dusty would be alright after she gave him the so-called “advice.”

* * *

Ishani sighed as she sat in her hangar at the airport in India. She should be happy that she was back home, but she wasn’t. Her seventh place standing so far needed to change for the better, but Ripslinger, Zed, and Ned took up the top three, respectively. She couldn’t beat that. _Maybe they’ll understand if I place in the top five._ She thought.

One would think that the Pan-Asian champion would be happy, but she wasn’t. There was immense pressure for her to do well, and she was afraid of not living up to expectations. That was why she had to take RIpslinger’s deal. 

She took a deep breath, and emerged from her hangar while maneuvering around the tractors roaming the airstrip, looking for Dusty. It was hard to find him, since he heard his friend El Chupacabra yell “You can only pretend for so long!”

She turned a corner just in time to see Rochelle drive away from the Mexican racer, obviously not interested in him. Dusty proceeded to give El Chupacabra advice on how to talk to Rochelle, which made her let out an amused chuckle in response. The air racer was such a nice and down to earth plane, that she again felt bad about what she was doing. 

However, she again had to push those thoughts aside, as she approached the two planes. “Hello.” She greeted, which caused both planes to look over at her in shock, El Chupacabra turning around quickly to face her. 

Dusty was speechless for a few moments, only managing to get out a “Whoa…” before he gulped from social anxiety. El Chupacabra was quick to remove himself from the situation, sensing the tangible awkwardness. “El Chupacabra! I think someone is calling me. I have to go.” He quickly said, dashing away.

Ishani glanced at El Chupacabra quickly making his exit, amused by the masked aircraft’s antics, before she went back to looking at Dusty. “I wanted to compliment you on your success, Dusty. You're doing very well for your first race.” 

Dusty was quick to reply, as he seemed to have gotten over his nerves. “Aw, that means a lot, coming from you. I mean, come on, you were named most aerodynamic racer by Air Sports Illustrated. And let me just say, you are so aerodynamic.” 

Ishani giggled at the compliment, appreciating Dusty’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of her racing career. She could tell that he was a fan of all of the racers participating in WATG. She was about to respond when a tractor practically bulldozed its way through between her and Dusty. 

“What's with all the tractors around here?” Dusty asked, as he watched the tractor continue on its merry way along the airstrip.

“They're sacred. Many believe that we will be recycled as tractors.” Ishani explained, turning around as she tried to think about how to bring up Dusty using the railroad tracks on the leg to Nepal. 

“Oh. Well, I believe in recycling.” Dusty replied. He obviously didn’t fully comprehend what Ishani said, but she didn’t mind. His naivete was alluring. She then had an idea of how to give him her “advice.” “Have you ever been to the Taj Mahal?”

“No. No, I haven't.” Dusty answered. 

Ishani expected such an answer, considering Dusty’s humble beginnings. “Come on. Let’s go.” She said, taxiing towards the runway. 

Dusty eagerly followed, and they were soon in the air, taking a joy flight over the Indian landscape. They flew in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying the river that flowed below them, amongst the grass prairies and trees with tractors below. That is, until Dusty spoke.

“Must be nice to be back home.” Dusty remarked.

Ah, that’s what everyone thought. Of course it was nice to be back, but it was bittersweet. All thanks to expectations created for her…and what she was about to do. “Well, it's complicated. I have a billion fans. And they're all expecting me to win.” 

“Maybe this time, you will.” Dusty encouraged, to which Ishani laughed. 

_Why do you have to make this so hard, Dusty?_ Ishani thought, having second thoughts. Dusty had been nothing but nice to her, and this was how she repaid him? However, she was afraid of what would happen if she reneged on her deal with Ripslinger, and Dusty wouldn’t be put in danger by following the railroad tracks. Right?

They soon reached the Taj Mahal, and Dusty looked on in awe, having never seen such a beautiful building. He was only accustomed to rows and rows of corn, so the scenery of India was definitely a nice change. “Wow! This place is amazing.” He exclaimed.

“It really is. And tomorrow, you'll fly over the magnificent Himalayas.” Ishani replied, as they flew around the marble-clad monument.

“Oh, those little hills? Yeah, well, no big deal.” Dusty brushed off, feigning an air of confidence to which Ishani just chucked in response. 

“You like to fly low, don't you?” Ishani pointed out, deciding to bring up the railroad tracks now, before she chickened out of her deal.

“Oh. Oh, that? Uh, that's strategic. Air density and, uh, combustion.” Dusty tried to explain, but Ishani assumed that it was a personal choice, not one of aerodynamics or something like that. 

“You know, you could follow the Iron Compass, instead.” Ishani suggested, having thought of what she would call them instead of just “railroad tracks” to sound like she was giving him wise advice.

“Iron Compass?” Dusty asked, having no idea what she was talking about.

 _Well, no turning back now…_ Ishani told herself. “Yeah, rail road tracks. Through a valley in the mountains, so you can still fly low.” She explained.

“Really? Thanks, Ishani.” Dusty thanked.

Ishani’s expression faltered a bit as she was again reminded of how kind Dusty had been to her, but she forced herself to reply with a simple “Anytime.” as they flew back to the airport. She would tell Ripslinger that she had given Dusty the “advice,” and she would get a new propeller which would hopefully take her to the top five, at least.

* * *

"He flew through a _what?_ " Those were her exact words when she had heard after traversing the Himalayas with the other racers that Dusty had gotten first place on this leg by flying through a tunnel. A train tunnel that wasn't built for planes. She wondered why Dusty would've done such a thing. 

He could've easily flown over the Himalayas when he realized that there was no way but up. _Maybe it's some sort of technical constraint he has because he's a former cropduster?_ She thought as she made her way back to her hangar. 

She had done her best to avoid Dusty when she arrived in Nepal; she couldn't bring herself to face him after what she did, especially since she was now wearing the new propeller Ripslinger had given her for upholding her part of the deal. Well, that was before Dusty got first place instead of last. 

Apparently, her efforts weren't enough, since Dusty approached her from behind. "Crazy day today, huh?" He remarked, seemingly unaware of anything sinister going on.

Ishani gasped in shock, looking behind herself guiltily. She thought that Dusty was talking to reporters; apparently he was done already? "Oh. Yeah, a very exciting win for you today." She chuckled nervously. "Quite a risk you took."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, your propeller, is it new?" Dusty asked.

Ishani felt a chill run through her frame at that. Dusty had to be onto her. All she could do was try to not bring attention to it. "Oh. I suppose it is."

"Sky Slycer Mark Five, right? Aren't those made exclusively for Ripslinger's race team?" Dusty asked again.

Dusty's seemingly endless knowledge of the racing world worked against her in this moment, and all she could do was act clueless and hope Dusty didn't press the subject further. "Are they?"

"Yeah. Yeah they are." Dusty confirmed, still looking at her like if nothing was wrong.

Ishani didn't know how to respond to that. _Maybe coming clean is a start._ She tried to find the words to try and explain herself, but all she could manage was say the racer's name. "Dusty…"

Dusty's expression immediately hardened at that into a glare, which Ishani shrunk on her landing gear under. "You set me up."

"Look, I didn't ever want to hurt you." That was the first thing that came to her mind. She didn't know that Dusty would actually fly through the tunnel, and Ripslinger probably didn't know that either.

"Why?" Dusty asked, his expression turning into one of betrayal and sadness.

Ishani couldn't answer the question. Telling Dusty that it was for a new propeller sounded bad, but it was the truth. Well, also because she was expected to do well in the competition, and that pressure motivated her to do such a thing, but she didn't expect Dusty to understand. "It's complicated, okay?"

"You could have gotten me killed out there today!" Dusty pointed out, and that hurt her the most. All she could do was reiterate what she thought the day prior. 

"I really thought that you'd just turn around!" Ishani admitted, but Dusty was having none of it.

"Well, you were wrong. And I was wrong about you." With that, Dusty turned to taxi away, leaving her to think about what she had done. That is, until Ripslinger came along, probably heading to his own hangar. "Oh hey, Rip. Thanks for first place." Dusty added, which made the P-51 shake with anger. 

Ripslinger looked at Ishani for a split second and she recoiled instinctively, but he just muttered something unintelligible and angrily stormed away to his hangar. Ishani watched Dusty drive away, and she let out a sad sigh as she continued her way to her hangar. 

What had she done?

* * *

Ironically, the new propeller didn't help her at all on the leg from Nepal to Shanghai, because her heart wasn't in racing anymore. How could she focus on the race when guilt plagued her incessantly? Dusty kept first place in that leg, which made her feel somewhat better since he was doing well despite what happened, but she still didn't sleep easy at night.

She could've approached him to apologize in Shanghai, but all she could do was stay inside her hangar. Every time she wanted to go and talk to Dusty, she ended up not going purely because she was afraid of what would happen. He probably thought of her just as badly as Ripslinger now.

When she arrived in Mexico City and Dusty wasn't there, she was concerned. Then, when he didn't arrive for a few hours after she arrived, she was terrified. The racers were starting to ask questions about where Dusty was. Was he lost at sea? Did he land in Hawaii instead? 

The disappearance of Dusty Crophopper soon sweeped the news, and Ishani knew that Ripslinger had something to do with it. He wasn't as concerned as the other racers were; only when he was in front of the press. 

"Dusty was a nice guy who flew the challenge and pierced the clouds of mediocrity." He said before fake sniffling in front of the cameras. "We're all going to miss him. Excuse me." Once he wasn't in front of the cameras anymore, his demeanor completely changed. "Let's just hope he makes a better boat than a plane." He joked.

Ned and Zed laughed along with him. "That's a good one, boss." Ned said.

"Oh yeah, that was pretty good." Ripslinger told himself.

El Chupacabra approached him, obviously angry that Ripslinger had to do with the disappearance of his friend. "Señor Dusty has ten times the engine you do!" 

Ishani approached Ripslinger as well. Compared to what he did, what she did seemed trivial. Dusty could be dead in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And it was all to ensure his winning streak? She was livid. "And ten times the integrity." She added.

"Said the plane with the shiny new propeller. How much integrity did that one cost you, sweetheart?" Ripslinger retorted.

Ishani knew, in that moment, she had to atone for what she did. And she couldn't shy away from it, either. If Dusty was still alive, she was going to make it up to him. She had lost her integrity, and that was something that she couldn't live with. "Too much. You used to be a great champion. How the mighty have fallen." With that, she turned to head to her hangar.

The sound of helicopter blades late at night awoke her from her sleep, and she quickly went outside to see what it was. It was Dusty being lowered from a helicopter, but he was barely recognizable from all of the damage he had sustained. She was thankful, however, that he was still alive, but that joy was short lived.

There was news going around that without new parts, Dusty would be unable to compete in the WATG, because his injuries were too severe. None of the racers (besides Ripslinger, Ned, and Zed) wanted to compete without him, so they agreed to chip in to get him the parts he needed. Ishani already knew what she would give Dusty. She just had to contact the warehouse back in India for her old propeller… 

Once it was shipped to Mexico City, she got it reinstalled, just in time for when all of the racers were congregated around Dusty's hangar with new parts. She pushed the Sky Slycer Mark Five propeller on a cart to Dusty's hangar.

"Thanks, everyone. Really." Dusty thanked.

Dottie grinned, looking at all of the new parts. "This is fantastic. Looks like all you need now is a-"

"A new propeller? How about a Sky Slycer Mark Five?" Ishani pulled up with the propeller, as Dusty looked at her in shock.

"Wait, that's your propeller. You could still win the race." Dusty pointed out.

Ishani chuckled. "Oh, I intend to, but with my old propeller. This one didn't really suit me. But I think you will have a lot better luck with it."

Dusty smiled. "Thanks, Ishani. Dottie, can you fix me?" 

"Does a PT6A have a multi-stage compressor?" Dottie replied.

Everyone was silent as they had no idea how to answer that question.

"Yes! Yes it does." Dottie said, to which everyone cheered. "All right, you guys, let's get him ready to race." 

Ishani smiled as she dispersed along with the other racers. She found herself feeling better now that she had fixed things with Dusty. It was more fulfillment than when she did well in a race, for sure. She hoped that Dusty would win against Ripslinger.

* * *

Ishani had no idea as to what went down on the ground over Deadstick Desert since the clouds blocked her view, but she knew that Dusty must be doing well, since he now had all of the new parts he needed to win. 

She had seen Dusty earlier at the start of the leg from Mexico City to New York, and he was already quickly making progress up from twelfth place as a result of his time penalty for not completing the previous leg by himself. 

Considering that his radio had been tampered with (and she had a pretty good idea as to who was the culprit) she thought that it was unfair that he would be punished with a time penalty, but the WATG were entrenched in the rules.

All she could do was focus on the race, and she soon neared JFK airport, behind Bulldog. She crossed the finish line in sixth place, behind her top five goal, but she could care less when she saw that Dusty had won against Ripslinger on the screen by the finish line.

Ishani approached Dusty, who was talking to Chug, once the racers exited the runway and clamored around Dusty, the new WATG champion. “Well done, Dusty! The world has a new champion.” She said, pausing before adding “And so do I.”

“Thanks, Ishani. For everything.” Dusty said, before another fan of Dusty, named Franz, came to talk to him. Ishani smiled as she watched everyone appreciate Dusty for being an inspiration for vehicles who wanted to do more than they were built for. 

She felt even more joyful when she saw Ripslinger get towed away on a flatbed truck, covered in sludge from portable toilets set up past the runway. Ripslinger getting towed away was like her letting go of the pressure to win; Ripslinger did some unconscionable things just to ensure his victory, and she almost fell into the same trap when she accepted his deal. 

Even though she still wanted to win to receive praise back home from her fans, she also knew that it was important to still have a strong sense of integrity, and to value friendships when she made them. She was thankful that Dusty had forgiven her, and she would ensure that she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

She would put friends over fans.


End file.
